Friday September 4, 2015

When you envision your home in your mind’s eye, the patio is the center of your outdoor living space. It combines the soul of the kitchen, dining and living room with the notion of escape, privacy and relaxation plus entertainment, wrapped in the glorious outdoors and punctuated with the sound of nature or the laughter of friends and family. This space deserves the attention the rest of your home gets, but sometimes budgets can be an issue.

If your patio is in need of a spruce up, an easy makeover can be achieved within tight budget restraints. In fact, a modest budget can be the inspiration for great feats of creative genius. Here are a few tips that might spark your creative juices and set you on a path to a revitalized outdoor living space that invites your guests and enriches life about the home.

Remove the plastic. Designer plastic furniture and features aside, the plastic chairs and tables that you buy at a discount or hardware store do nothing to enhance the feel of a living space or a backyard patio. While practical, they become dirty and drab quickly, become brittle and break and have zero style.

If a wood table and chairs setting are outside the budget, consider a plank of stained and sanded hardwood rested on bricks.

Find a mix of wood or iron chairs from yard sales, restore them or leave them in their present weathered condition for an eclectic earthy look. The point here is to remove the ubiquitous ugly plastic and replace it with the products of artisans. Immediately your space gain some soul.

Personalize your patio. In your house, you have ornaments, pictures, artworks and furnishings that are an extension of who you are, where you come from and who your family is. Your patio deserves the same details. Start by stripping your patio bare, and then decorate just like you would your living room. If your patio is weather proof, add comfortable soft furnishings, a rug and pillows, and hang some artwork. Add plants, potted and hanging to bring nature a little closer. You can handle this patio makeover for close to nothing if your repurpose items from inside the home.

Add a fire pit to warm up the space. If you’re looking to really add a wow factor to your patio for a small investment, then a fire pit kit is the way to go. Whether you're toasting marshmallows or toasting your guests with a glass of Pinot Noir, nothing adds that extra "spark" to entertaining like a flaming fire pit. Easy to assemble and durable, they are a fantastic value for the many years of enjoyment they offer.

Use your budget restrictions as inspiration for creativity, repurpose existing décor and shop yard sales, clearance racks and discount stores to make your patio as inviting as your living room, with the added benefit of fresh air and nature.